Korean researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough in energy storage technology, developing the country’s first self-charging device that can efficiently capture and store solar power. The innovation could pave the way for faster-charging, longer-lasting energy storage systems.
The research team, led by Senior Researcher Jeongmin Kim at DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology), has created a high-performance energy storage device that combines solar cells with enhanced supercapacitors – devices that can rapidly store and release electrical energy.
“This study is a significant achievement, as it marks the development of Korea’s first self-charging energy storage device combining supercapacitors with solar cells,” says Kim. “By utilizing transition metal-based composite materials, we have overcome the limitations of energy storage devices and presented a sustainable energy solution.”
The breakthrough lies in the team’s innovative electrode design. They used a nickel-based material enhanced with other metals like manganese, cobalt, copper, iron, and zinc to create electrodes that can store and deliver energy more efficiently than previous designs.
The performance numbers are impressive. The new device achieves an energy density of 35.5 watt-hours per kilogram – significantly higher than the 5-20 watt-hours per kilogram typical of previous studies. Its power density of 2,555.6 watts per kilogram also far exceeds earlier achievements, enabling rapid energy release for high-power applications.
When combined with silicon solar cells, the system demonstrated an energy storage efficiency of 63% and an overall efficiency of 5.17%, suggesting strong potential for commercial applications.
“We will continue to conduct follow-up research to further improve the efficiency of the self-charging device and enhance its potential for commercialization,” states Damin Lee, a researcher at Kyungpook National University’s Regional Leading Research Center who collaborated on the project.
The development represents a significant step forward in sustainable energy technology, potentially leading to more efficient and practical solar energy storage solutions. The research was published in the journal Energy, with support from DGIST’s Institutional Core Projects, Early Career Researcher Projects, and Kyungpook National University’s Regional Leading Research Center for Carbon-Neutral Intelligent Energy System.